Model of a Russian fifth-generation fighter at Farnborough Airshow 2014

MOSCOW, July 16. /ITAR-TASS/. United Aircraft Corporation hopes that a first domestic model of a 6th generation warplane will be created in 12 years, head of the directorate of military aviation programs in the United Aircraft Corporation Vladimir Mikhailov told ITAR-TASS on Wednesday.

“Most likely, this will be done in the second half of the 2020s,” he told ITAR-TASS.

Meanwhile, 6th generation fighters are expected to replace 4th and 5th generation fighters in the United States only in the 2030s, media reported.

Mikhailov noted that requirements to a warplane of next sixth generation were just being defined. “Now this is sooner a matter of science than design,” the corporation’s official said.

He noted that each generation of combat aviation had differed strongly from the previous one.

US companies Boeing and Lockheed-Martin are developing 6th generation fighters in the US, media reported. These fighters are expected to replace 5th generation fighters F-22 Raptor which US military forces are armed with now and 4th generation deck fighters F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in the 2030s.

Russian Defense Ministry will receive around 100 warplanes in 2014 and more than 15 warplanes will be delivered to foreign customers before the end of this year, head of the directorate of military aviation programmes in the United Aircraft Corporation Vladimir Mikhailov said

“Around 100 warplanes are planned to deliver within the state defence order in 2014. More than 15 warplanes will be supplied to foreign clients,” he told ITAR-TASS.

Mikhailov noted that the amount of works which corporation’s enterprises was performing within the state defence order grows almost every year. If in the mid-2000s the Defence Ministry received one or two warplanes every year, there are already tens of them now and their number is getting closely to one hundred. “This dynamics will be kept in the medium-term prospect,” the aviation official noted.

“In monetary terms I can only say about United Aircraft Corporation’s projects within the state defence order that the Defence Ministry has concluded long-term contracts with the corporation for many hundred billion roubles. They have already provided United Aircraft Corporation’s enterprises with stable load up to 2020,” Mikhailov added.